“Black Stars fighting spirit is at all-time high” – Jordan Ayew

Photo Credit - Ghana Black Stars.

Ghana captain Jordan Ayew has indicated that the national team’s fighting spirit is at an all-time high following strings of top performances in the last few months.

The Black Stars’ chances of booking a ticket for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was brightened when they recorded two consecutive wins in March against Chad and Madagascar.

The four time African champions managed to finish in third place at the 2025 Unity Cup where they defeated Trinidad and Tobago by 4-0 at the GTech Community Stadium in London in May. They had lost 2-1 to continental rivals Nigeria in the opening semifinal with the Super Eagles going to beat Jamaica 5-4 on penalty shootouts after a 2-2 draw to clinch the title.

Ghana will travel to play Chad before hosting Mali in matches day 7 and 8 of the World Cup qualifiers. Victories in the upcoming games will guarantee Ghana's qualification for the World Cup, which will be hosted in the USA, Canada and Mexico next year.

Ayew said: "I think we have a very good chance of making it to the 2026 FIFA World Cup," the Leicester City striker told the Ghana FA media. "The team fought hard for the points against Chad and Madagascar in March, and that has put us in a very good place on top of the table. But it is not yet over.

"We have four more matches to play, and we are focused on winning them. We have Chad and Mali in September; it won’t be easy, same as Central African Republic and Comoros. But with this kind of mentality and team spirit, we will succeed."

Ghana failed to reach the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted in Morocco later this year after finishing bottom of a group that included Angola, Sudan and Niger.